Ham radio licence update ! (1 Viewer)

[Jaws]

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Amateur radio: more freedom to innovate​

Spectrum
From today, amateur radio enthusiasts will enjoy greater operating freedoms under amateur radio licensing changes announced by Ofcom.
Amateur radio, sometimes known as ham radio, has been an important part of wireless communications for over a century. From time to time, Ofcom reviews our licence conditions to reflect changes in technology and how the hobby has evolved.
Last year, we set out how we planned to change amateur radio licences and policies, so they better meet the needs of current and future needs of the hobby. We received over 1,400 responses, and we would like to thank everyone who provided their input as part of this process. Following this, we published our General Notice of Proposals to vary all amateur radio licences in line with the proposed new terms and conditions.
After carefully considering representations made in response to our December proposals, we have decided to proceed with amending the licence, with some modifications in light of the submissions we received.
There are approximately 100,000 amateur radio licences currently issued by Ofcom in the UK. All of these are effectively varied as of today – meaning amateur radio enthusiasts can now operate under the new rules. The changes we are making to the licences include:

• Updating the overall licensing framework. This includes allowing anyone to operate amateur radio equipment under a licensee’s supervision and making the process of getting and using a licence simpler and clearer.
• Streamlining and modernising call sign assignment. This includes making the use of Regional Secondary Locators (RSL) optional, introducing the RSL ‘E’ for optional use by radio amateurs operating in England, and simplifying the license terms on the use of call sign suffixes.
• Adjusting technical parameters. This includes increasing maximum power that radio amateurs are allowed to use in most frequency bands.
• Providing clearer updated rules. This includes simplifying conditions to make them easier to understand and removing provisions not needed for spectrum management purposes.

Whilst the new rules apply from today, we will need to reissue all the licences and aim to complete this process by autumn 2024. We will shortly commence writing to licensees to provide each with their new licence document. We will contact licensees by email or post depending on their preferred method of communication. In the meantime, licensees can access the Amateur Radio General Licence Conditions Booklet from our website or contact us to request it in an alternative format.
Some elements of our December 2023 policy decisions will be implemented at a later date. We will update our guidance when these changes take effect.

 

[Realist]

Not used mine in years but thanks for the update.

GW0WGW.

 

[tonka]

If I ever use it again..


G1FTJ

 

[Larby]

73's

G4TEB

 

[tonka]

73's

G4TEB

I know a funster who is G4TJB... That's very close..
Polar bear

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[Jim]

When Putin and Jinping knock our internet out and Whatsapp doesn't work, I imagine Ham radio becoming popular again.

 

[madmick1945]

I know a funster who is G4TJB... That's very close..
Polar bear

Just got mine back after 20 years G0GAG

 

[nicholsong]

Apologies for a Q from one who has ancient knowledge of HF.

I have a Restricted HF licence from my flying days where we had HF sets in the aircraft 1990 era, which we used to call our Operations from the apron in places like Heraklion, Crete and Larnaca, Cyprus. We used to just dial up Niton Radio frequency(does it still exist?) and they patched us through via telephone to Ops.

I never knew much about how the sets worked. I presume that even with our powerful electrics they could not use Ground Wave over those distances, so must have used skip distance signal. If so how did they stay on frequency with variations in the D,E and F layers? Presumably some sort of frequency control.

Are dial-up sets available for amateur use and would the new regulations for licences allow me to use my Restrictive HF licence? Problem is it was an aviation one, so not marine nor Ofcom - I always thought it was stupid that they were not interchangeable, but maybe they are now.

If I am talking rubbish I am sure somebody will correct me, please.

[The above is all based on what I remember from my CPL ground school in 1965]

 

[Realist]

Not to my knowledge they are separate licences.

 

[nicholsong]

Not to my knowledge they are separate licences.

OK, but why?

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[DABurleigh]

At least it's not bad news, though I wonder how much "simpler" getting a licence will be.

Dave
G4WIZ

 

[Realist]

OK, but why?

I'm no sexpert but I'm sure each license is issued for its own means like licensed as a doctor and then expect to fly a plane.

But someone else will say otherwise I'm sure.

 

[Realist]

At least it's not bad news, though I wonder how much "simpler" getting a licence will be.

Dave
G4WIZ

Back of a cornflake box scenario I presume just to get the numbers up.

 

[Gromett]

I keep meaning to get mine back.

G1 WMI

 

[nicholsong]

I'm no sexpert but I'm sure each license is issued for its own means like licensed as a doctor and then expect to fly a plane.

But someone else will say otherwise I'm sure.

It is a bit different when I have already passed the exams for a VHF licence for aircraft and used it in aviation for decades, and on the basis of that was issued with an HF Restricted Licence.

I never took the exam for a marine VHF licence as I took the attitude that if the marine authorities were considering prosecuting they would consider it a waste of time as the court would probably think that also, as I could demonstrate years of exercising my privileges of my existing VHF licence.

The only difference I can discern between the teaching for marine and aviation licences is that in aviation in an emergency one gives one's distance and bearing from a given point and in marine one gives one's bearing to a given point.

It seems picky to require two licences for a professional in either environment. Equally, if there is dial-up equipment available for 'Ham' operators such as I used on aircraft(which nobody has confirmed), why cannot I use it under my existing licence? Radio procedures are the same and maybe adhered to more rigorously in the professional marine and aviation environments than in 'Ham' radio.

Over.

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[Wee Bold Davy]

A good friend of mine tried to get me into ham radio back in the early 90s. I spent many hours in his 'man cave' but never did take it any further. Alas, he passed away last year. This thread has reminded me of him and the good times we had